CINCINNATI—There was a moment during the first week of Bengals training camp where linebackers coach Paul Guenther wanted to get a true gage on what he really had in Vontaze Burfict.

Was this the guy who wrote to Marvin Lewis before the draft saying, “give me a shot and I will prove that I am a good person and a great football player,” or the player who was called for 16 personal fouls in his last 26 games, a stat only NHL enforcers would love?

So Guenther had a little test for his rookie linebacker. During an afternoon practice, veteran center Kyle Cook started to get under Burfict’s skin. On one running play, Cook gave Burfict a slight hit away from the play. Burfict thought about going after Cook but after a couple seconds of glaring at him, walked away.

Burfict passed that test along with a couple others this season. After being one of the top prospects before going into one of the worst draft freefalls in history, Burfict, who signed with the Bengals less than an hour after the draft ended, is now being discussed as a darkhorse prospect for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

“All I know is, since the time he has been here, Vontaze has been coachable and wants to be the best player he can be,” Guenther said. “He’s not playing like a rookie.”

Starting the last seven games at weakside linebacker, Burfict is second on the team in tackles with 81 along with five tackles for a loss. He also has a sack and two passes defensed. In the Oct. 21 loss to Pittsburgh, Burfict had 16 tackles and 14 solo stops, both team highs this season.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the most starts by a Bengal in his rookie season who was a college free agent is 11 by linebacker Armegis Spearman of Ole Miss in 2000. If Burfict starts Sunday at Kansas City, he joins Spearman and Kevin Sargent as the only college free agent rookies to start as many as half the games.

The Bengals have had a knack for taking chances on players. When they didn’t draft a linebacker and ended up signing Burfict, they saw it as a no-risk move since Burfict signed a rookie deal. The Browns and Eagles also were interested, but it was because of the connection Burfict made with Lewis that brought him to Cincinnati.

Lewis met Burfict during Arizona State’s Pro Day. That's when Lewis took him to the side and said to run the 40. Point being, the time didn’t matter, it was to show the coaches and general managers he was a worker.

Burfict got Lewis’ number during the workout and later emailed asking for a chance. Lewis’ response to Burfict before the draft, "Put your past behind you and focus on the future.”

Burfict's initial goal was to just make his way on to the team, learn the playbook and be a leader along with one other important matter.

“I wanted to get in good with my teammates, because I'm pretty sure they thought that I was the same guy people (thought I was). I just wanted them to know I'm not that type of person. I'm a great guy and a great person off the field,” he said.

“For me, what people portrayed me as at the draft, I totally wasn’t that guy. It’s not like I could go and confront media people and say 'you guys have got the wrong person.’ Whatever they put out there, they put out there. And whatever team got me, they will see the real Vontaze. I’m just totally the opposite of that.”

Throughout the process, he has remained humble and soft spoken. The night he found out he made the 53-man roster, Burfict took his girlfriend, Brandie, to Olive Garden to celebrate. He has also been accessible to reporters during locker room periods.

On the field, Burfict got the opportunity to start after Thomas Howard suffered a season-ending knee injury before the Week 2 game against Cleveland. After playing middle linebacker throughout his career, Burfict had just three days to learn the weakside spot.

He saw 22 snaps against the Browns. Since then, Burfict started the last seven games, playing more than 85 percent of the plays. He has recorded double-digit tackles in five of the starts.

The biggest difference with playing outside linebacker is coverage. Instead of taking on the center, Burfict now has to take on the fullback or tight end along with picking up on tight ends and receivers further up field. He already might be the best linebacker on the team when it comes to pass coverage.

When asked to assess Burfict’s progress, Rey Maualuga said Burfict was already ahead of where he was a rookie.

“The thing that has surprised me the most is the way he has handled himself around his teammates. He is taking the extra time to study and has not been nervous about moving to the outside spot,” Guenther said.

Burfict’s progress has also been rewarding to the support group around him. His agent, Chuck Price, first saw him during a high school All-Star game when Burfict was a senior at Centennial High in Corona, Calif. Price didn’t meet him though until he decided to declare for the draft.

When Burfict wrote a letter to every pro team trying to atone for a bad Combine and Pro Day, it was Price’s idea. Price also instructed Burfict to take the name and number of every pro personnel guy or coach he met and to be attentive. What Price stressed is something commonly lost throughout the draft process—it’s a four-month job interview.

“He liked the idea of it. Any time you get acknowledged it was rewarding," Price said of Burfict’s letter to teams. "Marvin was one of many, but on a certain level, Marvin was a guy on the other side of the email that cared.”

When asked if it was hard to write the letter, Burfict said it wasn’t and it gave him a chance to express how he felt about his situation, how others viewed him and asking that a team give him the chance.

Burfict’s goals for the remainder of the season are to continue to make progress, starting with Sunday’s game against the Broncos. Many of his 16 tackles against the Steelers were the result of being unblocked. When offensive linemen get their hands on him though, there were times when he was unable to shed the block.

“ 'Tez' is a rookie; he makes errors and needs to correct them,” Lewis said. “But he is one of the most natural young linebackers I’ve seen. He runs around, flies around, and he makes a lot of tackles—that’s part of playing linebacker. You can give the guy a minus, but at the end of the day, it’s your job to get the football on the ground, and he does a good job of that.”

Many already are looking ahead to next year. Maualuga is a free agent at the end of the season and some wonder if Burfict will move back to the middle. Linebacker will be a big area in free agency as only Burfict and rookie Emmanuel Lamur are under contract for next year.

For Burfict though, the focus remains on the last seven games.

“I’m excited. Me and Rey (Maualuga) in the middle and Manny Lawson we’re a great linebacking corps and us communicating and playing with each other. Just taking control of that defense we can be a force to reckon with,” Burfict said.